Keeneland September Continues Saturday

LEXINGTON, Ky – After a one-day hiatus, selling continues Saturday morning at the 12-day Keeneland September Yearling Sale with the first of two Book 3 sessions set to begin at 10 a.m. Friday's dark day gave everyone a chance to catch their breathe after four sessions of competitive bidding which had one prominent pinhooker bemoaning, “I think I came a week early.”

“I think the table has been very well set for the rest of the sale based on this first week,” said Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell. “We've heard people say they tried hard and haven't succeeded [in buying during Books 1 and 2]. We have talked about that for many years now. That is the magic of the September sale. Hopefully it will help Book 3.”

Through four sessions of the September sale, Keeneland has sold 681 yearlings for a total of $196,645,000, an average of $288,759 and a median of $200,000.

“Overall, we were very pleased with the first week,” said Select Sales' Andrew Cary. “There is a ton of demand in the upper middle market. Buyers are still very selective–more of the same that we've seen from the earlier sales. If you've got, the right physical and a horse that vets well, they bring a lot more than you thought they might. If you're a little bit off anywhere, they've got plenty of horses to choose from. Definitely, it's still very selective, but there is a lot of strength and depth. It's probably the most diverse buying base we've seen in a long time.”

Reflecting on the first week of the sale, Hidden Brooks' Jack Brothers said, “There is still a lot strength at the top. I wouldn't say it was perfect throughout, but I think there was a lot of resiliency in the market.”

After a spate of rainy, chilly weather, it was a balmy day in the Bluegrass Friday as shoppers packed wall-to-wall into the Keeneland sales barns.

“We were swamped yesterday, in particular, with people looking on both sides–both colts and fillies,” confirmed Gainesway's Michael Hernon. “And we've had steady strong demand since we opened shop this morning at 8 a.m. You look around and you see familiar people and it's also good to see some new faces as well.”

Cary agreed activity at the barns has been high and should lead to a competitive second week of the September sale.

“Book 3 and 4 and onwards is still going to be strong,” Cary said. “A lot of people are just getting into town. There are a lot of domestic buyers who haven't really started buying yet, so I think we will see a transition to different sorts of buyers and I think there are a lot of people who are just starting to get rolling. I think it's going to be very competitive in the next few days. We've been swamped here at the barn. Hopefully that bodes well.”

Brothers said the strong competition for horses in Books 1 and 2 of the sale will lead into a strong Book 3.

“I think the momentum will carry through to Book 3,” Brothers said. “Any time you see activity and strength early on, it pushes people deeper into the catalogue. So I think it will be strong throughout Book 3. We've been very pleased with the response so far to our horses.”

The Keeneland September sale continues through next Saturday, with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.